Return to the Past
by MasterSleuthSu
Summary: It has been three years since Kaname returned to the present. She thought things were finally back to normal, but a dark aura hangs over the past, threatening to engulf everything it touches. It is her fate to go back in time once again and fight the enemy long thought dead. But will it also be her fate to fall in love? Formerly under SusanPevensie394. Hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

_(All characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi)_

**Return to the Past  
**

By

SusanPevensie394

**Chapter 1- A Day With Kagome**

I was sitting outside my family's shrine since it was such a nice day out. The sky was crystal clear, and the bluest of blues--not always the case when you live in the city. There was a heavy textbook open on my lap, and a few more stacked neatly to my left on the bench. In my hand was a mechanical pencil. On my other side was Kagome Higurashi, a friend of mine, who was in a similar position. I tried to concentrate on the book in front of me, but I couldn't seem to wrap my mind around Calculus at the moment.

"It's no use! I just can't focus." Sighing, I closed the book and turned slightly so that I could face Kagome. "Kagome?"

She was still staring intently down at her own book, occassionally scribbling a few notes on a piece of paper. She seemed completely oblivious to the rest of the world, and had obviously not heard me. I decided to try again, though I knew it probably wouldn't do any good.

"Um...Kagome?"

"Uh-huh," she said.

"Can we stop for awhile? I can't seem to focus."

"Uh-huh."

However, she didn't take her eyes away from the book. She scribbled a few more words, and I realized that she wasn't even paying attention to me at all. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Kagome!"

"Uh-huh," she said again.

Great, I thought, my friend is in a schoolwork trance. This might take a while.

"Kagome, what are you working on?"

"Uh-huh."

"..."

"Uh-huh."

Oh god, it wasn't working! Now she was just saying it even if I didn't say anything first! Note to self, I thought. Remember to never concentrate on homework that much ever again. It's so creepy!

"Okay Kagome, I'm gonna just leave you here," I said, though I didn't even bother to move.

"Uh-huh."

...Okay, this was getting ridiculous. There was just one more thing I could think of that would almost certainly get Kagome to snap out of it. I didn't really want to go there, but I didn't seem to have a choice.

"Kagome, look! Inuyasha and Kikyo are kissing!"

Her head shot up, and for a few seconds I was scared for my life as I looked into her outraged face.

"WHAT?! Where is that bastard?! I'm going to sit him into oblivion!"

"Um....K-Kagome? I was only kidding..."

"Where is he?!"

Great...and she was ignoring me again. Although I had a feeling it might be a bad idea, I reached a hand out and waved it in front of her face until she looked at me.

"Kagome, he's in the Feudal Era, and he's not with Kikyo," I said, an attempt to placate her. I didn't actually know he wasn't with Kikyo. For all I knew he was. I just really hoped he wasn't...for his own sake.

Slowly she seemed to calm down until finally she heaved a sigh and smiled faintly. "Oh... okay... So um.... why did you say he was kissing her?"

I returned her smile and lowered my hand to my lap. "I was trying to snap you out of a homework trance."

"Huh? What?" She stared at me in confusion. "What does that even mean?"

"Um...well... let's just say you were really focused."

"Oh..."

I knew she probably still had no idea what I was talking about, so I thought it best to change the subject.

"You know..." I began, my voice soft. "I...really miss everyone..."

Kagome saddened. "Kaname..."

"I-I'm sorry!" I said quickly, not wanting to make her sad. "I'm just being silly."

She shook her head, reaching out to take one of my hands with both of hers. "No, you're not... Kaname, it isn't fair to you... You always ask me how everyone is doing, but... I know when I tell you you become more sad."

"Kagome, it's alright. I know I can't see them again, so there's really no point in being sad. The only reason I still ask is because I care for them. Even if I can't see them again, they're still my friends."

"But-"

"Kagome, really. Please, I'm fine."

I wasn't fine, and she knew I wasn't fine. But she also didn't want to get into a fight with me, so she sighed, and looked down.

"Okay..." she said softly. "Do you... do you still want me to tell you how they are?"

I nodded, and cracked another small smile. "Yeah, I do."

"Well... Inuyasha is the same as always. He's still always picking on Shippo, but I think he's getting a bit more mature." I noticed that she spoke with a faint blush on her cheeks, and there was a fondness for the half demon in her voice. My smile grew. I knew she was in love with him. "And Miroku and Sango seem to finally get along well together."

I rolled my eyes. "Until he sees another pretty girl, right?"

She laughed, and nodded. "You know him all too well, Kaname."

"Well I should," I said with a laugh. "I did spend a few too many of those days off with him." I rolled my eyes again. "Does he still ask all women to have his children?"

Kagome shook her head. "Surprisingly no. He's finally gotten past that."

I mock gasped, and put a hand to my chest. "No?! That's... amazing!" I laughed. "I'm impressed! Anyway, what about the others?"

"Sango is amazingly patient with him... and guess what?"

"What?" I really had no idea.

"She got Kohaku back!"

"What?! Really!? That's wonderful! Oh, I wish I could congratulate her in person..."

Kagome's eyes softened for a few moments as she looked at me in silence. Finally she spoke again. "Shippo has really grown up these past three years. He's gotten much stronger."

"Good for him," I said smiling. "I knew he could do it."

"Yeah..." She smiled fondly.

"Um...Kagome?" I asked hesitantly.

"Hmm?"

"What about... Sesshomaru? How are...he had Rin doing?"

"Oh..." She groaned. "I had hoped you wouldn't ask me about him..."

Suddenly I was very suspicious. "Why?"

"Because...." She bit her lower lip. "Because I had hoped that you had gotten over him by now..."

"Over him? Kagome, what are you talking about?"

Over him? Really, what on earth did she mean? It wasn't as though I loved Sesshomaru. I just...liked him a little....okay, so maybe that was a lie. I liked him a lot. I might even love him. Not that I wanted to admit that outloud, even to Kagome.

"Uh....nothing, I guess..." She continued to look at my curiously, and I had a feeling that although I didn't say anything about my feelings, she still knew. "Um... so... Sesshomaru... well, I haven't seen him in a few weeks... not since the last time we talked, so... I can't really tell you anything."

I sighed, and my eyes saddened. I realized that I was more disappointed than I thought I would be by this news. "Oh... that's... okay." I looked back at her. "Anyway, we should probably finish our homework before it gets too late. You have to go to the Feudal Era tomorrow, don't you?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I do. Right after I get out of school." She sighed dramatically. "I hope I can at least get there on my own this time... remember last time?"

I grinned. "Last time? Oh, you mean when Inuyasha dragged you out of the bathroom and to the well house while you were only wearing a towel?"

She grimaced. "Yeah, that time..."

"Well then, we better make sure you don't have to pull an all-nighter studying. Otherwise you'll really be in trouble."

"Thanks Kaname," she said in relief. "You're a lifesaver."

"You're making me blush!"

"I'm serious," she said. "Without you I'd never be able to stay caught up. I'm so glad we decided to go to the same high school."

"Me too."

Kagome closed her eyes and smiled. "It seems like only yesterday we were first years."

I smirked. "Yeah, yesterday for you maybe. We're third years now. In a few months we get to go through the joys of applying to universities."

"Ugh..." She sighed again. "Don't remind me... I'll never be ready for that..."

"That's why we're studying. Which, I might add, we should get back to."

She made a pouty face. "You know, I was studying when you interrupted me."

I shrugged, opened my book and looked down at it. "What can I say... it's not good to get that involved with homework, no matter what."

She laughed, and soon we were both engrossed in our books once more. Although, I was both dreading and looking forward to the next day.

* * *

_A/N: Just a short Author's Note to start this story off. Well, this is the first Inuyasha fanfic I've tried to write. This story was requested by a good friend of mine, so here it is. =) Will be updated very soon._


	2. Chapter 2

_(All characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi)_

**Return to the Past  
**

By

SusanPevensie394

**Chapter 2- Strange Dreams and a Fall  
**

_My breath came in rapid pants as I ran, trying to get away from who was chasing me. I didn't even know who it was, let alone why they were trying to catch me. I felt afraid...terrified even. I kept running as the person laughed. His...hers... its... yes. Its seemed appropriate. Its laughter was like nothing I had ever heard before. It was maniacle, and very un-human. It had to be a demon, though not any that I knew of. _

_And yet...there was still something familiar about it. I could almost place the laugh, but not really. I glanced over my shoulder, taking a risk I knew that I shouldn't take. All I saw was a shadow at first. And then...red eyes. Blood red eyes._

_There was only one person with eyes like that. He swooped towards me, and I screamed as he ran me through with his sword._

I woke up with a scream. Jerking into a sitting position I looked around, afraid that Naraku was in the room with me. I didn't see anything except the usual objects that were in my room. Even though I didn't feel any pain, I still reached a hand down to run across my stomach to see if there was a wound. There wasn't, and I was relieved.

As my senses returned to me I realized that that had only been a dream. After all, Naraku was dead. He had died five hundred years before in the Feudal Era. As my heart rate began to return to normal I started to think about my dream. That place... had seemed sort of familiar as well. It had been a long hallway, or maybe a tunnel. There had been a few twists and turns, but I had seemed to know where I was going. Had I been there before? I was vaguely reminded of the layout of Naraku's castle. The dream hallway had been sort of like his castle... Dark, eerie, and with a faint smell of blood in the air.

When I had been in his castle pretending to be Utsugi I had thought I was going to throw up so many times because of that smell... There's no way I'd ever forget it. Still...how could he be alive? I had watched him die. I shivered as a chill ran through me. Suddenly I was very worried about Kagome... she was going back to the Feudal Era today... what if Naraku really was alive? Should I warn her? I sighed. Kagome would probably just think I was crazy. After all, it was just a dream...wasn't it? It wasn't as though I actually knew he was alive. It had probably just been a figment of my imagination due to my missing the friends I made in the Feudal Era.

All the same, I couldn't help but think that it hadn't been just a dream... I wasn't a psychic, but I still felt as though what I had just dreamed was a vision of the future. Hopefully I was wrong...

I lay back down slowly, and it took me a good hour before I finally fell back asleep.

I woke up again a few hours later, realizing none too quickly that I was running about a half-hour late. Letting out a scream I jumped from the bed and hurriedly ran around in a frenzy, trying to find all the pieces of my school uniform. By the time I was dressed and ready to go it was already 8:15. Oh no, I was going to be late! I ran out the door, barely even remembering to grab my school bag in my hurry.

Luckily the school wasn't too far away, or else I would have been in big trouble. When I arrived in the classroom where I had first period I was out of breath.

"Just...made it...." I panted, dropping into my seat next to Kagome.

She laughed. "Kaname, why were you in such a hurry? We have a study period first today."

I blinked, and then blinked again. Study period? I slowly looked over at her. "What? Are you serious?"

She nodded, and tucked a bit of hair behind an ear. "Yep. I can't believe you forgot."

I groaned, and leaned back in my seat. Just my luck... I hadn't even had breakfast, I had been in such a rush. I felt my stomach rumble a bit at the thought of food. Food... wonderful, marvelous food.... Guess it really was just my luck... Opening an eye I looked over at Kagome again. I contemplated telling her about my dream, but thought better of it. I didn't want to worry her, or make her think I was crazy.

"Kaname, are you coming to the shrine after school?"

"Hmm?"

"Kaname, are you even paying attention?"

I sighed, and sat up straighter. "Yes, I am," I said with a small smile. "And of course I am. There's no way I'd miss out on a chance to see Inuyasha."

"He'll be glad to see you. He hasn't had a chance to in a few months," Kagome said with a wry smile.

"You're right, he hasn't." I thought for a few seconds before asking, "Kagome, do you have enough ramen for him?"

She shrugged, made an odd face, and sighed. "I never have enough ramen for him. I don't think there's enough ramen in the world to be enough for him."

I laughed. "Is he really that big of a pig?"

"Uh-huh," she said. "Sad, but true."

I nodded in agreement.

Right after school I met up with Kagome again. As we were leaving the school, much to her chagrin, we heard a familiar voice calling out.

"Kagome! Kagome!"

She grimaced as we both turned to face the boy who had called out to her. I glanced over at her and was amazed by how quickly she had managed to force a smile onto her face. She really was good at that.

"Yeah Hojo?"

"Kagome," before Kagome knew what was going on he had grabbed her hands, "you shouldn't be out of bed! Your pneumonia can't be better already!"

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. Pneumonia? Since when did Kagome have pneumonia? I realized it must be another one of those diseases that Kagome's grandfather kept saying she had in order to explain her absenses. From the way Kagome visibly twitched at the word 'pneumonia', I knew I had guessed right.

"Uh..." I could tell she was trying to choose her words carefully. "Hojo," she said, "thanks for your concern. I'm really doing fine! I'm completely over pneumonia."

He looked doubtful. "Are you sure Kagome?"

"Yes Hojo, I'm sure."

"But--"

"Hojo," I interrupted quickly, taking a step toward the two of them. If at all possible I wanted to avoid blood shed. "She's still not feeling well, so you should really take it easy on her... I'm going to take her home now, okay?"

He nodded without hesitance. "Of course! Take her quickly." He turned back to Kagome. "Kagome, take care okay? Don't overexert yourself."

"I'll be fine Hojo. Don't worry." Kagome flashed him a smile, removed her hands from his, and grabbed my arm before yanking me with her away from the school. "Bye Hojo!" she called, quickening her pace.

I grinned. "Kagome, you know he just likes you."

"Don't remind me," she muttered. "That's not a good thing."

"But it's so funny! He even followed you here from junior high." I laughed. "I heard he had even planned to go to one of those prestigious prep schools before he heard you were coming here."

She groaned. "Oh god, again, don't remind me.... I don't want to be reminded! I don't like Hojo like that!"

"Oh, but he's so much more... caring than Inuyasha."

"And that's a good thing how?"

"Because he won't yell at you and call you wench when he's angry?"

Kagome glared over at me. "But I don't like Hojo!"

I gave in finally after she squeezed my arm a little too hard. "Okay, okay. You like Inuyasha."

She blushed. "I-I do not! Inuyasha means nothing to me!"

"Um...Kagome? Inuyasha's standing right behind us."

Gasping she whirled around, only to find no one there. She glared at me again. "What was that about?"

"Well, that proves you like him."

"I don't see how," she muttered under her breath.

"You don't want to hurt his feelings because you care too much for him. You don't want him to think that you don't like him either, also because you're in love with him."

"But I'm--"

"I know the truth Kagome. Actually, I think the only person who doesn't know is Inuyasha himself."

She smiled softly. "Yeah... he really is an idiot when it comes to things like that."

"Aren't all guys?" I asked her.

"Yeah, you're right about that," she said with a laugh.

We soon arrived at the Higurashi shrine and headed to the main house first. Kagome had to grab her big yellow backpack, which she still used to lug things to and from the Feudal Era. She also wanted to say goodbye to her mom and grandpa. I had a feeling she also wanted to yell at her grandfather.

"Grandpa!" Kagome was almost yelling at the poor old man now. I felt a bit sorry for him, although really only a bit. "How could you? Pneumonia? You told the school I have pneumonia?"

"What's wrong with pneumonia?" he asked defensively.

Kagome groaned. "What's wrong with it? Everything's wrong with it!"

"But it worked so well! They didn't expect you to be back in school for at least another few weeks!"

"But that doesn't work! I need to be able to go back at any time and not have people think I'm sick with your stupid illnesses!"

"Stupid?!" Grandpa glared at his granddaughter. "Well then, I guess I won't tell your school anything! I'll just let you miss so much school that they fail you!"

Kagome sighed, and ran a hand through her hair. "Grandpa, look... I'm happy that you care so much, just... Just please try to come up with something a bit more common." Kagome and I could both tell that he wanted to argue, probably say something about how normal pneumonia was, but she beat him to the bush. She gave him a quick hug, grabbed her bag and headed for the door. "Thanks grandpa. I love you!"

"Have a good trip Kagome, and be careful!"

As we headed to the well I smirked. "What do you think he's going to come up with this time?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I don't really want to think about it... I know it's not gonna be something normal like the flu."

"At least it can't get worse than pneumonia."

She looked at my sceptically. "Yeah, right."

When we reached the well both of us were surprised not to find Inuyasha there waiting for Kagome. She and I exchanged confused glances, before noticing a piece of paper pinned haphazardly to the side of the well. Kagome pulled it off and read it aloud.

"Kagome-- You took so long that I decided to just wait for you at Kaede's. You better hurry up so we can go shard hunting again! I'm not waiting for long!" She sighed. "Sorry Kaname...guess you won't get to see him this time."

I was sad to hear this of course, but I would get over it. I smiled and shook my head. "It's okay. I'll just see him next time. Make sure he comes though, okay?"

She nodded. "Of course! I'll do my best."

"I know you will Kagome." I gave her a hug, and when I pulled back I smiled again. "Be careful."

She looked confused for a few seconds before nodding again. "Yeah, I will. Don't worry. I'll see you in a few weeks."

With that she turned, and jumped down the well. She was swallowed in a few blue lights, and then darkness. I continued to stare into the blackness, a sadness in my eyes. How I wished that I could go with her. I was about ready to leave when I felt something rub against the back of my legs. I gasped, and jumped forward. Before I knew what was happening I felt myself falling, and the last thing I saw was Kagome's cat Buyo sitting on the well.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I'm so sorry for not updating in so long! Writer's block hit me, and it hit me hard. I've had absolutely no ideas for this story, or for anything else that I've been working on. But I think it's over now, so here's chapter 3. Enjoy!

Chapter 3-Return to the Past

When I awoke it was dark. That was the first indication that something was wrong. The second was that I was still in the bottom of a well -- a very uncomfortable, filthy well. Not good. Not good at all. I sat up and looked around in confusion, guessing that I had passed out when Buyo knocked into me earlier. I looked up, expecting to see the roof of the well house. What I did not expect to see was stars, and lots of them.

Letting out a gasp I jerked to my feet, unable to believe my eyes. How... I was back in the Feudal Era, I had to be...but how? I hadn't been able to travel back before. Three months after I had originally traveled back to the Present I met up with Kagome again, right in time for high school. Ever since we had both tried to get me back to the Feudal Era, but nothing we had done had worked. And somehow Kagome's cat had managed to get me back here.

Somehow I managed to climb out of the well, though I found it exceedingly difficult without any vines, or even footfalls to use for leverage. When I was out in the fresh air I looked around some, but didn't recognize anything. It had been three years, but I doubted that the Forest of InuYasha would change this much in only three years. That meant that I must be somewhere else. Only problem was...where else could I be?

"This is bad..." I murmured to myself. "How did I get here when I traveled through the Bone Eater's Well?" Good question. Too bad I didn't have an answer for it.

It seemed to me that there were three possible solutions to my problem. One would be to pick a direction and go that way. The second was to wander aimlessly. The third was to wait here until someone came along. None of these seemed particularly appealing, especially the third. Although, it was possible someone might come by. After all, it was a well, right? And wells meant people.

...wrong. This well was not only old, but also dilapidated. It looked like it hadn't been used in years. So I should probably do either the first or second option. And yet both would probably just get me into more trouble -- or worse, danger. What if I ran into a demon? It wasn't as though my Shikigami powers were still working.... or were they?

I hadn't tried to use them since returning from the Feudal Era the first time, so it was still possible that they worked. After all, why would they stop working? Curiosity got the better of me so I looked around for a target, settling on a tree that had seen way better days. The branches were all dead, the leaves that remained dry and brown. No harm in attacking a tree like this. Raising an arm over my head I closed my eyes, taking a few deep breaths to try and calm my racing heart. What would I do if it didn't work? I'd be doomed if a demon happened across me. And what would I do if it did work? The explosion might draw some demons attention to me.

I opened my eyes, shaking off those thoughts. No harm in trying, after all. "Oh flame, burning bright... turn into a sword of wrath!" The ground underneath me glowed red in the symbol of the Shikigami, and a few seconds later the bright red light that had formed above my hand flew over to the tree and engulfed it in flames.

I grinned. "Yay, it worked!" The victory was short lived however, because almost as soon as I spoke I heard the howls of demons. I shivered. "Oh no..."

Just great, what was I supposed to do now? Demons were on there way towards me, and all I had to protect myself with was my Shikigami. Although my powers were strong -- or at least were three years ago -- I doubted I would be able to handle a lot of demons on my own. _Oh, I wish Kagome and InuYasha were here... they would know what to do._ Even Sesshomaru would be able to help. A sharp pain shot through my heart at the thought of his name, but I ignored it, focusing instead on the matter at hand. I could run, but since I didn't know the area, the demons probably wouldn't have much difficulty tracking me down. I could fight, but I'd probably just end up getting killed.

I was in big trouble.

Voices came out of the woods around me, and I was able to make out a few comments:

"A human!"

"Let's eat her."

"Yessss, let usssss cookssss hersss..."

"No, let's eat her raw."

I shivered again, taking a defensive stance. I was in really big trouble. If them talking about eating me wasn't bad enough, I could now smell them -- and it was definitely not a good smell. The demons smelled as though they hadn't bathed in years, which they probably hadn't. I grimaced. This was really not my day...

"S-stay back, I'm warning you... If you don't I-I'll kill you," I called out, though I doubted that the stuttering really backed up my attempt at confidence.

The demons slowly came out of the woods one by one, each one uglier than the one before it. There were demons with razor sharp fangs or no fangs at all; red eyes and gold eyes; horns or no horns; and some didn't even have any clothes on, revealing things that were better left completely unseen. One took a step toward me and I guessed him to be the leader. His eyes were black and slitted, and his body was covered in some sort of green fur -- at least, I thought it was fur.

"Brave words for a lone human child," he said with a sneer, showing pointed fangs.

I took a step back. "I-I mean it, don't come any closer," I warned, not that my threat actually had anything to it.

He laughed, and the other demons joined in with him. "Your threats mean nothing to any of them, wench. And they mean even less to Fujimaru." I assumed that 'Fujimaru' was his name, although for all I knew it could be one of the other demons, or maybe even someone else entirely. Fujimaru looked back at his companions. "Time to rip her limb from limb."

I gulped. Not good, really not good. I could use my Shikigami, but I knew I would die before I would be able to let off an attack. Or even if I did manage to attack one of them, the rest would kill me before I could even take another breath.

My thoughts came to a sudden halt when all of the demons leaped toward me in one motion. I let out a scream, clenching my eyes closed.

I expected to feel pain, but instead I heard the clang of steel upon steel, as well as a few screams. My eyes opened and I stood staring at the carcasses of the demons, as well as the back of a tall person with long silver hair.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Here's chapter 4! Sorry it took longer than I had originally expected. I had to rework a few sections of it a few times when it wasn't coming together correctly. Hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter 4-A Reunion Of Former Allies

Shock.

That was the mild term for what I felt at seeing Sesshomaru again. A better word would have been paralyzed. I felt as though I could never move again, although that might have had something to do with the fear I felt at being attacked by a horde of demons only seconds before. I would have been killed if Sesshomaru hadn't shown up and--wait a minute...where had he come from? I really doubted that he had just been passing by and decided to save me, a human. It just didn't make sense after everything that I had heard about him from Inuyasha and the others. Although I knew personally that not everything they said about the Inuyoukai was true.

"H-how did you k-kill them s-so easily?" Fujimaru stuttered, staring at Sesshomaru with a mixture of awe, anger, and absolute terror.

Oops, forgot about him for a moment. _Kaname, you need to pull it together. You're gonna get yourself killed one day if you keep spacing out. _Which was a definite possibility in this era.

Sesshomaru slowly turned away from the demon, much to my surprise, to face me. "Are you injured?" he asked me, his gold eyes showing a hint of...concern, maybe?

I shook my head quickly. "N-no, I'm fine..." I answered, feeling my face heat up. Just great, now I was blushing.

"Hnn..."

"Hey, don't just ignore me!" Fujimaru shouted.

Oh boy. That couldn't be good. I saw Sesshomaru's golden eyes flash and a sinking feeling formed in the pit of my stomach. I didn't like Fujimaru at all, hated him in fact, but the thought of seeing another demon killed in front of my eyes wasn't a pleasant one. Although I had seen lots of demons get killed--and killed many myself, I still didn't like it very much.

"Um...you really should just run away while you still can," I suggested.

Fujimaru glared at me. "Don't tell me what to do, human wench!"

I twitched. He really shouldn't have said that. I was not in the mood to be called names, especially that one. "Lord Sesshomaru..." I smiled sweetly up at him. "Do you mind if I get rid of him?"

"Hnn," he replied, not showing any emotion at all. Well, I would just take that as a 'yes'.

I turned my full attention to Fujimaru, my smile still a bit too sweet to be natural. "OK, you asked for it." I took a step toward him and he laughed.

"What do you plan on doing, human? Slap me? Scream? Pull my hair?" he taunted. "Oooh, I'm so scared!"

"Shikigami attack!"

With those words came a ball of fire about the same size as a soccer ball. It hit Fujimaru in the chest before he knew what was happening, setting him on fire. The demon let out a shriek before running off, probably to look for water to put out the fire with.

"Come."

I turned in confusion. "Huh? Come where?" I questioned.

"Camp," Sesshomaru answered simply.

I blinked. Master of one word sentences. Just great. This was the one thing I didn't miss about Sesshomaru. I remembered how some of the times when I was with him the last time I had wished that he had been at least a bit more like Inuyasha. In the talkative sense, anyway.

"Great! I can't wait to see Rin again! I've really missed her. Ah-Un too." I giggled. "I even missed Jaken."

There was silence for a beat. Finally, "Is that all?" Sesshomaru asked, in what I hoped was a slightly disappointed tone. Although it was probably just boredom I heard in his voice. Or maybe annoyance.

I hesitated. "No..." I bit my lip. "Not everyone... I missed Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippo... Grandma Kaede, Kikyo, , Kouga, and the others I met too." I lowered my voice and whispered, "Lord Sesshomaru most of all." Quickly I let out a laugh, a blush on my cheeks. "So, we're going to your camp, right? Lead the way!"

Sesshomaru gave me a long stare before finally turning and walking off into the woods, leaving me to scramble after him. Oh kami, I hope he didn't hear the last part... I should have just included him in the list without making it seem like I cared a lot about him. Although since I did care a lot about him, that was really sort of stupid. Still though, he probably thought I was insane now, for acting so silly. Kami, I was acting like those girls who followed the popular guys around at school. Fangirls... uggh!!!

* * *

It was official: I was going crazy.

We had been walking for about ten minutes, but I already felt like hitting something--especially the Taiyuokai in front of me. It had been complete silence for ten minutes, which wouldn't have been so bad, except for the fact that I had the distinct feeling that Sesshomaru had forgotten I was behind him. He hadn't looked back once, even when I tripped over a log and almost fell on my face.

I knew that probably wasn't true though, that he had forgotten about me. I mean really, he was a demon with a super sense of smell! How could someone like that not know that someone was following them? Still though, I wished that he would at least attempt to act a bit more...un-Sesshomaru-like.

I sighed. I couldn't take it anymore. "Um...Lord Sesshomaru?"

Silence, of course. Like I had really thought I would get an answer.

I tried again anyway. "Lord Sesshomaru, I was wondering... how has Rin been? It has been three years. Has she changed a lot?"

"She is...taller." Yay, three words that time! Much better. I mentally congratulated myself on the small accomplishment.

"Really? I bet she's getting really pretty. She's about eleven now, right? I bet the boys are starting to really like her."

I saw him twitch, though it wasn't extremely noticable. "Hnn. This Sesshomaru would not notice," he responded.

I giggled. I knew I had gotten him a bit upset, and I knew giggling would probably only make it worse, but I couldn't help it. Sesshomaru was probably mad about all of the attention Rin was undoubtedly getting. Even though she was still basically a child, in but a few short years she would be at marrying age.

"What is so funny, girl?"

"I do have a name you know," I muttered reproachfully. "Remember? Kaname?"

"Hnn."

I sighed again. So much for the banter. That hadn't lasted very long. "So...um... what about Jaken? Does he still watch out for Rin when you're not around?" I smiled at a memory I had of him and Rin. "Does she still like to make him wear flower chains?"

There was a low chuckle. So soft in fact that I wasn't sure if I had really heard it or if I had just imagined it. "When she can," he responded, all traces of any possible laughter not showing in his voice.

I grinned. "Had he learned better manners?"

As if on cue we heard said imp demon shouting from up ahead.

"Get back here Rin! I'm going to burn that hair of yours off this instant!"

We entered a field a few seconds later, Sesshomaru still walking a few feet ahead of me. "Jaken," he warned.

The imp shivered, immediately freezing on the spot. I was once again amazed by what power Sesshomaru had over the small demon. It was purely amazing that he could say so little and yet still manage so much.

"I-I'm sorry Lord Sesshomaru," Jaken squeaked as he dropped his staff, bowing repeatedly. "I was only joking around!"

"Hmph."

Jaken flinched. "Please forgive my rudeness," he pleaded.

Feeling a little sorry for him I stepped forward so that I stood next to Sesshomaru. "You should forgive him. You know he doesn't mean anything by his threats."

Sesshomaru cut his eyes to me. "Is that so?"

I gulped. "Y-yes... you know that better than anyone..."

"Hmph." Sesshomaru turned and walked over to a tree, leaned against it, and closed his eyes.

I rolled my eyes. How mature. Sometimes he was worse than Inuyasha, which was really saying something. OK, so maybe not worse than Inuyasha. He was still a bit better than the half-demon. It was then that I noticed Jaken and Rin staring at me curiously. The girl was more curious, the demon more suspicious.

"Who are you, human?" he asked me warily.

So they didn't recognize me? I would have at least thought that that Jaken could recognize my scent... I couldn't help but feel disappointed at the revelation. I knew I looked different, but not that different. My hair was now about an inch past my shoulders, I had filled out a bit, losing all of my remaining "baby fat", and my clothing now consisted of a blue and white uniform. But despite those things, I was exactly the same as I had been three years ago.

"Big...sister?" Rin asked hesitantly.

My eyes widened in surprise before I smiled brightly, nodding. "Yep! I'm back, Rin!"

Rin smiled too, launching herself at me. "Rin is so happy that you're back!"

I returned her hug with just as much fervor, laughing a bit when Jaken glared at me when recognition set in with him as well. I guessed that I wouldn't be receiving a hug from him, which in all honesty, was perfectly fine with me. I took the time to look at the girl holding onto my waist. She really had changed a lot in the time we hadn't seen each other. She was now a good foot and a half taller, still slim, still with long brown hair. But she had outgrown her previous hairstyle, and now wore her hair completely free of ties. Her kimono had changed too. Instead of an orange and white checked one she now wore a white kimono that came down to a few inches above her ankles. The kimono had an orange flowered pattern down the left front of it.

"Rin, you look so cute!"

Rin blushed cutely and pulled back. "Thank you, big sister." She looked me over and smiled again. "You look cute too!"

I laughed, "Why thank you, Rin."

I was suddenly painfully aware of eyes on me, and not just any eyes either. Sesshomaru's eyes... he was watching me. Turning I shot him a questioning look. "Is something the matter, Lord Sesshomaru?"

He looked away. "No."

Jaken frowned. "Lord Sesshomaru, you did not need to answer her. She is only a human, and a girl at that."

Gold eyes flashed his way. "Jaken."

The imp flinched again and bowed. "I-I'm sorry, please don't punish me!"

Instead of responding Sesshomaru walked off. "I'm going to get food." I blinked and he was gone.

I shivered. How in Kami's name did he do that? I wanted to ask him, but knew I would never get an answer from him.

"Big sister?"

"Yes?" I said, looking back at the younger girl. "What is it Rin?"

"Do you want to pick some flowers before Lord Sesshomaru comes back?"

I nodded. "Sure. That sounds like fun."

We both stood and I looked around. "Are there any good places to pick flowers around here?"

Rin nodded. "Yep! It's the same spot as last time we picked flowers."

Suddenly I realized why the field had seemed so familiar. It was the Field of Innocence! It was where I had met Sesshomaru for the second time three years ago. It was also where I had first met Rin and we became friends. I had been so glad to see her again I guess I just hadn't recognized the field sooner. I smiled. "Alright then, let's go!"

As we walked off we heard Jaken let out a curse. Then, "Wait for me!"

* * *

**E/N:** So did you like? I'm hoping the length of this chapter will partially make up for how long I made you all wait. Also I'm not really sure whether or not Jaken seemed out of character. What do you all think? Opinions always wanted! Virtual hugs, Susan.


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